Elina Called Li

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Date

2014

Disciplines

Children's and Young Adult Literature | Creative Writing | English Language and Literature

Abstract

Young adult literature faces a barrage of attacks from its critics and academics for delivering content that focuses more on entertaining rather than on challenging its readers. “Young Adult Fantasy Fiction: Relevant and Crucial Storytelling” is a researched response to that claim, demonstrating instead that quality young adult literature, far from “dumbing down” its readers, contributes to the increase in the number of young people who read as well as an increase in book sales. Perhaps more importantly, young adult literature resonates with youth and gives them a voice as well as an intellectual and moral backdrop in which to understand their own experiences. The second component of the creative project is part one, or 100 pages, of a young adult novel named Elina Called Li. The novel features a young female protagonist and themes such as identity construction, the role of community, and both the power and vulnerability of youth. The narrative’s major influences include the St. Benedict monastic community and fantastic Biblical stories.

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